Kodee has developed a habit of playing in the water in his dish. It's basically as if he is "digging" in his water with both feet, throwing water all over the place. He only did it a time or two at first, about 2 mos ago. I gave a verbal correction each time and cleaned up the mess, and he didn't do it again for a while. But he's gotten to where lately he does it more and more often. His dishes are in the kitchen, and he gets water everywhere. The dishes are fairly large, so I stopped filling his water bowl all the way up, which leaves less mess, but doesn't solve the problem. How should I handle this? It's not like a toy or a shoe or something, which I can just take away - he has to have water available. He is not in the kitchen unattended (he's not anywhere in the house unless I'm in the room with him), so I should be able to deal with this, I just don't know how. If a verbal correction doesn't work, what next? It doesn't seem like a true correction to just pick up his dish and put it away, especially since I have to give it back at some point in the near future.

Any suggestions?

First, and most importantly, I love the little quote under your new sig.

If you take it up while he's playing with it, remove it any time he behaves inappropriately with it, and return it five minutes later, I think he'll get the picture. You're removing his fun game. "Any time I do this she takes it away." You have to be very business-like, though. If he perceives it as "part of the game" he'll just escalate. Push him away (use that calm assertive energy) say "no" and remove the object. Also, if you can give him a "no" and redirect before he STARTS the behavior, that might be worthwhile.

Does he do this because there's something in the water? Is there a light reflecting off of the surface of the water?

Also, if you want to do the lazy thing, get a bucket that's too high to do that with. One that he has to hang his head over the edge to lap at.

It's the choice between a training fix and an environmental fix. Try the training fix, first. Give it a week, see if there's progress.

Tosca does the same thing. I think a lot of dogs do it from what I have read on other dog forums. I just limited the amount of water that is in it at all times.

Levi is guilty of this also but since his dish is outside the only annoyance is that in the summer I will come home and he will have dug all their water out and they are dying of heat Figure if they get really thirsty, they always have the pool, lol

Oh, Kodee. Sigh.

Kori, consider yourself LUCKY. Yep. Lucky. Caleb had/has such a water obsession that he:

1) as soon as he was tall enough (16wks or so) used the water dispenser and ice maker on the fridge. Made the kitchen into his very own slip-n-slide arena. Fun.

2) kept turning the knob on the back of the toilet (otherwise known as the water shut-off valve) until it came off and he had a fountain spouting in my bathroom. I came home to a flooded house. I was new to THAT kind of puppy at the time. Thought there was nothing in the bathroom he could get into.

3)turns over his dish and slides around in the water like he's a pig in mud.

He outgrew MOST of it. He will still get snipey with anyone who attempts to drink his most prized possession in front of him, though. So, I repeat. Lucky.

I have no-tip dishes on baking sheet pans. Spillover from both food and water stay on the rimmed sheet pans.

A bucket will not stop the problem with a determined dog. You may just end up with a tipped bucket.
Until you get him trained to stop digging in his bowl there are other things you can do.
You do not have to leave the water out all the time. You can put it down for a few minutes at a time several times a day. If he is thirsty he will drink when the water is available.
If he is on raw his need for water will be greatly reduced.
If my house dogs happen to be out of water they hang out at the bathroom door (where the water bowl is located) and when I say "water?" they dance and I put some water in their bowl. I have kids who will spill the water bowl so I don't leave a lot of water out waiting to be spilled.
Wild canines don't hang out next to the water hole all day and night. And I don't carry a water bottle on my hip at all times.
If your dog can ask to go outside why can't he ask for water? He probably already asks for food....

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I have no-tip dishes on baking sheet pans. Spillover from both food and water stay on the rimmed sheet pans.

This is what I use, too. Works well!

 Quote: David Eagle

Does he do this because there's something in the water? Is there a light reflecting off of the surface of the water?

Good catch, David. I had forgotten, but Carbon used to do this at a certain time of day when the light from a suncatcher in the window would make a sparkly in his dish. We just moved the dish!

Some dogs just think water play is fun, though! That or he's trying to tell you your house is too hot!

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I have no-tip dishes on baking sheet pans. Spillover from both food and water stay on the rimmed sheet pans.

This is not only foolproof, but it also contains the splashed water for drinking.

Another thing is those things you guys probably don't have in CA for catching snow off boots. They're rubber boot trays so they're quiet.